The Foreign Affairs Ministry of Kyrgyzstan demands explanations from Belarus concerning the order awarded to Bakiyev.

On August 5 Belarus’ Ambassador Viktar Dzyanisenka (Viktor Denisenko) was invited to the Foreign Affairs Ministry in connection with the information that the former Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev was awarded the Belarusian order of Friendship of the Nations, BelaPAN reports.

According to the information of the agency, the Belarusian diplomat was addressed with a request to offer an official confirmation to the reports in the mass media that the fugitive president was awarded the abovementioned order in Belarus.”

However, Dzyanisenka noted that he didn’t have information about that, and promised to inform his foreign colleagues on the substance of the matter in the nearest future.

According to information of Vesti.kg website, the primary source of information about the awarding was “Kabarlar” news outlet, which referred to some Belarusian mass media. However the primary information about the award was spread in the Kyrgyz sector of the Internet only: no confirmations to this report have been found in .ru or .by domains. Meanwhile, “Vecherniy Bishkek” offers even pictures of the order.

According to reports of mass media, since August 1 the former president of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiyev was awarded the state order of the Friendship of the Nations by Lukashenka. Conferring the order coincided with the 65th birthday of the former president.

Bakiyev’s regime was toppled in 2010 as a result of “the Tulip Revolution”. He fled to Minsk with his family. All this time Bakiyev’s stay in Minsk remains a sensitive matter in the relations of Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. On numerous occasions Bishkek insisted on Bakiyev’s extradition for justice to be administered.